No Hear No See No Talk
by pumpkinnubbin
Summary: They call him the "No Hear, No See, No Talk Killer". Can they catch him before it's too late? How does this case affect the relationship between Castle and Beckett? Epsecially after he found the first victim... Rated M for later chapters
1. A Chill Goes Through His Veins

**A/N:** I had the idea to this a while ago and decided to keep up writing it down. I'm still working on '_**The Sweet Side**_', don't worry and I have plenty of more ideas I have to work on. I'm still dying over the latest Sneak peek for _**To Love And Die In L.A**_! And you know what's best with this? I'm watching the episode at 4am on Tuesday, 3rd May...which happens to be my 18th Birthday! How could it start any brighter? Anyway, I haven't gotten the time to let it checked by a beta reader so any mistakes belong to me.

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><p><em><strong>No Hear, No See, No Talk<strong>_

It was a cool November night as he slowly walked through the empty alley. Never had he seen the city this quiet, almost peaceful. He sighed, maybe he was just lucky with where he was walking, it wasn't really late after all. It was a beautiful night, though. There were no clouds to be seen so one could count the stars if they wanted to. It was only 9pm but Castle had decided to go out for a walk, maybe have a drink somewhere until, hopefully, inspiration would strike him. So far, he hadn't been successful.

As he kept moving he suddenly heard a scream and figured it'd close by so Castle started to run. He had to know if everything was alright. Sure, it was New York City but his work with the police in the past three years had shown Castle what people could really do to each other and his instincts had already kicked in.

Castle moved as fast as he could and tried to remember where the scream had been coming from. If memory served him right he only had to turn once to the right again and so he did. It had taken him less than a minute to run there but when he turned into the alley he could already see that he was too late. Castle swallowed once before he slowly stepped closer to what lay on the ground.

It was dark in the alley when he passed the trashcans to take a closer look at the ground. He had to try hard not to close his eyes but he managed and took one final step closer.

There was a body lying on the ground surrounded by a dark liquid- if Castle had to guess, he would say it was blood. A lot of it. It wasn't what shocked him most, though. He skipped several heartbeats when he glanced at the part of the body's face he could see. It looked a young teenage boy, he couldn't be much older than Alexis was. Before Castle could give in to his urge to throw up, his brain jumped back in: The scream. Maybe the boy was still alive. When Castle turned the boy's head around to check for his breathing and his pulse he jumped back. He gave up all the hope he still had have for the boy to be alive. The boy who had still been alive a minute ago was dead and he started to believe it was his fault.

Then Castle remembered that he had to inform the police so he flipped out his phone to call Beckett. It rang a few times before someone picked up.

"Castle? What is it?" Beckett's almost sleepy voice answered from the end of the other line.

"Beckett...I...There...That boy..." He didn't know what to say, his eyes were focused on the boy and he started to let the tears free.

Beckett, alarmed by Castle's stumbling and hearing the sobs on the other end, jumped into business in less than a second.

"Castle! Calm down! Where are you? What boy?"

Castle turned around to see where he was and gave Beckett his location. When he was running to see if everything was alright earlier he hadn't been paying any attention at all.

"I...Beckett, please...Please." He hung up when he couldn't fight the urge to throw up anymore.

He had been on so many crime scenes over the past years but he had never seen anything close to this. He didn't think that maybe, whoever did this to the boy, could still be around. Castle could only stare at the body until Beckett arrived. She practically ran towards him as soon as she got out of her car and spotted him. Castle, who was sitting on the street with his back against the wall, barely noticed that Beckett had come over. Not until she kneeled down next to him, worry spread all over her face.

"Castle, are you ok?"

"Yes..."

"Castle...You mentioned a boy on the phone..." She didn't need or wanted to continue her sentence.

Either way, Castle knew and pointed towards the body a few meter away from them. He heard her inhale sharply when she saw the boy. She got her phone out of her pocket and dialled Ryan's number.

"Ryan, we have a body. Get Esposito and Lanie and come down here..." Beckett said, giving him the address and hanging up again.

Then she turned back to Castle.

"Castle-"

"I heard a scream when I was maybe two blocks from here so I went to look for its origin. I thought... When I got here I saw something lying on the ground and when I stepped closer I saw the body and the blood. It had not even been a minute until I got here but I was too late...He was already dead... He doesn't look older than Alexis..." Castle interrupted, his voice barely above a whisper.

He had taken the time Beckett's phone call to Ryan had taken to calm himself enough to give her a statement. He knew she would need one- better sooner than later. Beckett had to force herself to stay in 'Detective Mode' and it wasn't easy.

"Castle...I'm really sorry, we'll have to wait for the rest of the team to come... Are you sure you're ok?"

Castle nodded briefly. He appreciated the sincerity of her voice but it didn't help much. He still felt sick and shocked.

Both, Castle and Beckett, couldn't tell how much time it took the others to arrive. While Castle was still silent and staring a hole in the wall on the opposite site, Beckett tried to stay calm and be there for him. He needed the company, she was sure of it and they both needed to stay as zen as possible.

"Beckett!" Ryan and Esposito called in unison when they saw her kneeling in front of Castle.

Beckett got up and brushed her fingers over Castle's hand and then walked over to her boys. Lanie had already made her way to the body in the meantime.

"How's he holding up?"

Beckett watched her friends for a moment. Then she looked over her shoulder for a second before she turned her attention back to Esposito and Ryan.

"This one would shaken up everybody's bones but...he'll be fine." _He has to be..._

The guys nodded and passed her to write down what Castle had to say while she made her way up to Lanie. Beckett had heard Castle's statement but didn't write down anything. For now, she really needed to talk to her friend while doing work at the same time.

"Got anything for me?"

"He was shot in the head. I haven't found an ID yet, maybe it's lying around here somewhere. From what I can say so far, I'd say he died around an hour ago but I can tell you for sure after the autopsy...And his eyes are missing."

"I know...Can you say if they ... went missing before he was killed?"

"After the autopsy." Lanie sighed, looking up at her friend, "How's Castle handling it?"

"Hard." Was all Beckett replied.

Lanie got up and moved over to the detective, "Do you want me to check him?"

Beckett considered it for a second before nodding. She knew it wasn't really necessary, Castle had a shock, but it wouldn't harm anybody if Lanie checked him through.

"You said around an hour ago, right? That was around the time Castle heard the scream...He didn't mention a gunshot, though..."

"Honey..."

"Call me when you find something, will you?" Beckett interrupted. She didn't want to hear whatever Lanie had to say. Not when she started like this. She had to concentrate on the case, both of them.

"You'll be the first to know. Don't think we're done with this, Kate."

Beckett rolled her eyes and she was about to go back to the rest of her team when Lanie called out for her once again. She turned around and raised an eyebrow at Lanie.

"Take good care of the man."

They smiled sadly at one another for a moment before Kate eventually joined the others.

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><p>Meanwhile Ryan and Esposito had been talking to Castle.<p>

"Hey, Castle, how're ya feeling?"

"Been better...You guys want my statement?"

The two detectives nodded and put out their pens and notebooks.

"I was out for a walk, I needed some fresh air, when I heard a scream not far away. I ran to see what it was and where or who it came from and ended up in this alley. When I walked closer I saw the body and all this blood...Then I remembered that I heard this scream so I wanted to check for his pulse and breathing but... but when I turned his head..." Castle started under the sympathetic eyes of Ryan and Esposito, who encouraged him to continue, "When I turned his head I saw all the blood from where his eyes used to be...I called Beckett when I could think halfway clear again, maybe a minute later...I had to throw up a bit after that."

"Thanks...and sorry, bro. No one should ever see something like this. You should go home, Castle." Esposito said, one hand on Castle's shoulder.

Neither Ryan nor Esposito had seen the body yet and they hadn't known that the boy's eyes were missing. They could feel their stomachs twisting and making knots just at the thought of it.

"Maybe you're right...but I want to help on this case."

"Castle! You're too close to this case, Esposito is right, you better go home...I fill you in later but I don't want to see you anywhere near the precinct, got it?" Beckett jumped in when she stepped close enough to take part of the conversation.

"Beckett...Fine, I guess you're right." Castle said, defeated.

"I will drive you home. Guys, I want you to find out who that boy is. Call me when you find something."

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other and nodded. Any other time they would have loved to hear this sentence leaving Beckett's mouth but under the circumstances it wouldn't feel right to them.

"We will. Castle...We'll find out who did this to the kid."

They nodded at one another when Lanie walked up to them and pulled Castle into a spontaneous hug. After some reassuring words from her side she left with the body for the morgue. Whilst Kate and Castle made their way to Beckett's car Ryan and Esposito were leaving the crime scene.

They had a body to identify.

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><p><strong>Reviews?<strong>


	2. A Friendly Backup

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the kind words and all the alerts and favs on this FF! It's my 'first' attemp to write something longer and in more detail and I'm glad you guys like it! I'm trying to update once a week so I keep writing on it! I barely have time for other fics atm and tonight's ep killed me. I just wanted to give you this chapter before I'm off to celebrate my 18th :P Thank you all again for the time and reading!**

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><p>Beckett and Castle were silent throughout the whole walk to her car which hadn't been too long. She had parked less than a block away from where she had found Castle earlier. As they sat in the car, Castle just stared out of the window. Beckett wasn't sure if he even noticed that she was looking at him or that she had no intention of starting the engine anytime soon. She watched him a few moments longer and studied his face as good as she could through the reflection of the window. She knew that his thoughts were still at the boy and how he thought it was his fault that the kid was dead. But she also knew that it wasn't his fault. That there was nothing he could have done to save the boy and she needed him to actually realize it.<p>

"Castle...Castle, look at me."

She waited for him to turn around so they could lock eyes. He needed to see it in her eyes that she meant every word she was about to say.

"It's not your fault. There was nothing you could have done for him. You have to stop blaming yourself for what happened to him. It'll destroy you and I won't let this happen. Stop blaming yourself...Please."

Castle looked down for a second. He knew she was right, he knew it but he couldn't accept it just yet.

"I can't, Beckett. He was still alive. I was too late...He's dead because I haven't been fast enough-"

"Shut up, Castle! This is _**not**_your fault. We will find out what happened and who did this to the boy and why. Blaming yourself won't be doing us any good. It won't help us solving this case. I need you to be focused, ok?"

Castle just stared at her. It had been a while since he had seen her freaking out like this with him about anything. It had taken him by surprise to see and rather hear her outburst.

"I'm sorry, Castle. I didn't mean to yell at you like this but...I really need you to understand."

He nodded his head and made a failing attempt to smile at her. It was then when he realized that they were still standing at the same spot they had been for the last five minutes.

"We're not driving." He stated.

Beckett shook her head smiling.

"No, but I wanted you to clear your head a little before I drive anywhere."

"Thank you." Castle whispered and turned back to stare out of the window.

Then she eventually started the car. The ride to his loft took them around 15 minutes. It felt like an hour for both of them and the mostly awkward silence between them wasn't helping either. They stayed in the car for a while longer after Beckett had stopped in front of his building. Neither one of them wanted to break the silence but they felt like they had to anyway.

"Thanks for driving me...Do you want to come up for a coffee maybe?"

She smiled at him but shook her head.

"I can't. I have to get back to the precinct. I'm sorry, Castle. Maybe another time. You should get up and hug your daughter, you had a rough night. Go to bed and I'll call you in the morning." She said softly and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Keep me in the loop, will ya?"

"Of course."

Castle smiled at her before he left the car and shut the door close behind him. He was standing in the elevator only seconds later and ruffled his hair as the doors closed. He was about to panic again when the image of the eyeless boy went through his mind and wouldn't want to leave again. When the elevator stopped on his floor and opened, he practically ran to open his door and then shouted for Alexis.

The redhead was sitting alone at the kitchen counter and turned around. The confusion was written all over her face when he pulled her into an almost violent hug. She didn't know what was going on anymore.

"Dad? Is everything ok? Are you ok? Is Beckett ok?" She started to panic and imagined the worst.

"We're fine, sweetie. I just needed a hug..."

Alexis frowned at him but let it go when she remembered that she had a message for him.

"Oh! Lanie called a few minutes ago. She said she'd like to see you if you wanted to. She also mentioned a check-up and something about Beckett that I couldn't understand...Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, pumpkin, I'm alright and before you ask I'll call Lanie back later. Now, can you do me a favour and go to bed? It's late and it's a school night." Castle answered and smiled at his daughter.

"Sure..."

"I promise I'm alright." He reassured her and it seemed to work.

Alexis got on her toes and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before she walked up the stairs to go into her room. Something was off, she knew it but it wouldn't help to try to force it out of him, so she let it go.

Castle sat down in his office chair and stared at his laptop. He grabbed the phone out of his pocket to call Lanie but hesitated, his finger hovering over the buttons. Then he sighed and placed the phone next to his laptop on the table. Right now, he didn't want to call her. Besides, she had work to do.

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><p>Ryan and Esposito were still running in circles in the precinct. Lanie was still working on the autopsy and so far they had no identity. The boy wasn't reported missing either. They had nothing to start with but the bullet that was in his head. Lanie had sent it over to the ballistics and let them run some tests. They all came back with nothing out of the ordinary. It seemed like there was nothing to do for the two detectives until Lanie would be done with the autopsy.<p>

"Where's Beckett? Shouldn't she be back by now?" Ryan asked, realizing she still wasn't back with them.

"I don't know, maybe she's still with Castle." It sounded more like a question than a statement when Esposito sat down on his desk next to his partner.

They started to play finger football after there was nothing to do for them until the autopsy would be finished. Without another lead there was simply nothing else to do. They had nothing to start with, no name, no missing report on the boy, nothing at all.

"Think Castle's ok?"

"I hope he is but I know he will be. Couldn't have been easy on him to find the boy like that when he was still alive a little while earlier... You think maybe we should call him later and check how he's doing?" Esposito suggested and Ryan agreed.

It was already late, though, so they probably wouldn't be calling until the next morning. They didn't want to wake anyone and they were hoping he would already be asleep...or otherwise occupied with a certain detective who still hadn't shown up in the bullpen.

"So, the boy's eyes are missing? That's pretty cruel, who'd do something like that?"

"Or why...Maybe they're trophies?"

"That's sick...How comes we didn't find an ID with him? You think someone stole it or the killer took it with him?"

"He could have just forgotten it at home. Either way, we have to find out who that boy is. If someone took the ID it's gonna be a big lead."

The phone interrupted their discussion and Esposito picked it up.

"We're on our way." He said and hang up again.

Turning to his partner he pointed to the phone, "That was Lanie. She finished the autopsy. Beckett's already informed, too. Let's get down there."

They left the bullpen to go to Lanie. Now they could finally start working on this case properly.

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><p>His mind was still racing around the boy and he couldn't seem to stop it. Then they trailed over to Alexis. He had scared her, he knew it. Castle didn't mean to, though but his behaviour gave him away anyway. As much as he hadn't meant to hug her that desperately, he had really needed to do so. Castle sighed and turned his laptop on. He wanted to write something down but all he did was staring down on the keyboard. He couldn't concentrate on anything right now.<p>

Five minutes later Castle was still looking at his screen, his fingers hovering over the keys of his laptop without being able to type anything. Then he decided he'd go through some of his pictures, maybe it would change his mind. Castle got a feeling that inspiration wouldn't strike anytime soon anymore. Closing his eyes for a second he thought about what to do next. He wouldn't go to bed, there was no way he could find sleep tonight. He eventually got up and wrote a note for Alexis. Then Castle grabbed his coat and his keys and opened his door. Slowly shaking his head, he closed the door behind him. He wouldn't go back into his loft. He couldn't. Castle needed to get out, probably have a drink at some random bar and then maybe try to get some sleep back at home- or most likely not.

Leaning against the elevator wall he wondered why the hell it wasn't moving until he realized that he had yet to push a button for it to do something. Rolling his eyes, Castle pushed the button that would bring him and the elevator down to the ground floor and waited for the doors to close. A few second later the lift stopped again and a woman stepped in next to him. Castle had seen her before. She lived in the building but they had never actually chatted before.

The blonde was quiet, all she did was smiling at him and asking how he was doing. Apparently he looked very stressed.

"I'm fine, thank you and you? Where would life lead you on this beautiful night if I may ask?" Castle replied with his most charming smile.

Before the woman could answer, the lift stopped and its doors opened. She smiled apologizing at him and then left the building in no time. She was nearly running out. Must be something important, Castle thought. He shrugged it off and left as well.

He was once again lost in his thoughts when he opened the door to his building. His head down he didn't see the person he ran in to. He only noticed it because he got stopped in his tracks by something solid and very much human.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you. I was deep in thoughts...Are you alright?" Castle asked, looking up at the person he had just bumped into.

"Hi..."

"Ahm...Hi..." He said surprised.

He hadn't expected that to happen at all tonight.

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><p><strong>Reviews?<strong>


	3. Being There

_Hi, it's me again. I said I'd re-upload this as soon as I get it back from my beta and I did last night but had some issues and wouldn't let me upload it again. However, it's better now (the Chpater I mean xD) and I hope you guys think the same. Thanks Sky for the beta work :)_

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><p>"<em>Hi..."<em>

"_Ahm...Hi..." He said surprised._

_He hadn't expected that to happen at all tonight._

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><p>"What are you doing here?"<p>

"I...I was on my way back when I turned around again..."

"Yeah, I figured as much but what are you doing here?"

She sighed once before deciding to answer him truthfully. He'd be able to read the lie anyway.

"I wanted to see if you were alright and I wanted to ask you something...Where were you going by the way?"

"Dunno, get a drink somewhere. There's no way I could sleep tonight. What did you wanted to ask me?" He replied casually.

She wanted to tell him to stay at home and not go out and drink alcohol but she knew better. She knew that she had no right to tell him what to do and neither could she say that she didn't understand his train of thoughts. She'd been there, just not like that.

"Mind if I come along?" She asked instead and smiled when he nodded his ok, "I wanted to ask you about the case. The boy was show but you didn't mention a gunshot."

Castle looked at Beckett before frowning a moment. He was thinking hard to recall what had happened, every step he had taken and every noise he had heard. The only thing that was clear in his head was that scream. Maybe the cry had covered up the shot, he thought, then shook his head in disagreement of himself. No, there _was _no shot. There hadn't been one.

"There was no gunshot. At least I haven't heard one. Maybe they used a silencer?"

Beckett smiled at him again. He was back with her and that was as important to her as it made her happy.

"Why are you smiling?" Castle started to grin at her as they finally started to move from the building's front door.

"Nothing. It's just good to have you back on the line, Castle." Beckett smiled a bit wider now.

He returned her smile and they kept walking, side by side. They were passing the people who were still out at this time and neither one of them actually knew where they were going. Beckett was only following Castle to keep him company and to have an eye on him and Castle still didn't know where he actually wanted to go. If he could get some more time alone with his partner he would enjoy it either way so why not taking it slow? Unlike the silence they shared in the car earlier, this time it wasn't awkward at all.

"Thank you." Castle said suddenly, interrupting her train of thoughts.

They didn't stop but Beckett turned her head to face him. She was confused. She hadn't done anything to earn that thanks- or had she?

"What for?"

"For not telling me to stay home tonight. For keeping me company, although I haven't asked for it and you surely have better and more important things to do. For not telling me to drink alcohol... Thanks for just being a friend, Becks." He answered without looking at her.

Beckett's eyes softened and so did her smile, it even grew a tiny bit wider than it had been before. She looked down at her shoes before she turned her attention back on Castle. She casually placed her hand on his forearm, hoping he would look at her. He did.

"Whenever you need one." Beckett whispered and Castle instantly knew that she meant it.

She dropped her hand again and looked forward. She could feel that his eyes were still lingering on her and for once it didn't bothered her at all. It made her feel good.

"Alexis said that Lanie had called for me. She mentioned something about you. And a check-up?"

"Yeah. Lanie asked me if she should check you when she arrived at the crime scene so I said yes. She didn't have a chance, though because we left... Are you feeling better?"

She sounded truly concerned so there was no reason for Castle to lie about his condition.

"I'm fine...better. I can't get the boy out of my head, though...I scared Alexis when I came home...She's fine. Tell Lanie that I appreciate her offer but I'm ok."

She was about to tell him that he should tell Lanie himself when they arrived at a bar. Castle hestiated, then took her arm and walked in, dragging her behind him.

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><p>"Yo, what have you got?" Esposito asked as soo as they entered the morgue.<p>

Lanie looked up from the body to meet the gaze of the two detectives.

"He died around 9pm. Cause of death is the shot in his head. His eyes were cut out in a hurry after he was shot. The cuts are jagged. I sent his fingerprints through the system and got nothing _**but **_I got a match from his dental impression." She explained and walked over to a table where she had placed the file earlier, "His name is Ben Schmidt. Age 15."

Lanie handed Ryan the file and looked back at the body. 15... The boy was far too young and yet someone had ripped him out of his life in an extremely horrible manner.

"Can you say with what his eyes were cut out?"

Lanie shook her head, "Not specifically. I'd say it was a small knife but I can't say anything specific. If you find something I can compare it with the wounds that were left."

Esposito nodded and all three of them turned their heads to the boy. Neither one had ever seen a body like this. They had never have a case before where someone had cut out the eyes of the victim. And it didn't happen often that their victim was this young, either or that one of their own found a body.

"Hey, do you know where Beckett is, Lanie?"

"No, I called her earlier to let her know that I'm done and when I asked her if she'd come check she said I should call you. All she said was that she had some business to take care of tonight..." Lanie said, not sure whether to smile over it or not.

She had a good idea what – or better – who this 'business' was that Kate had been talking about.

"That's good. I'm sure he needs the company." Esposito said, smiling sadly.

They all knew that Castle was most likely Kate's business for the night and it didn't bother them at all. They were glad that she was there for him. He really did need it. Being alone was the last thing they wanted Castle to be that night and if Beckett would be there with and for him, then he would be in good hands.

"Yeah, but now all the work is stuck with us." Ryan lightened up the mood and as much as he meant it as a joke, it was true.

It was really late by now but Esposito, Ryan and Lanie decided to make the night through. They didn't want to go home. As long as they were still wide awake, they could work. Especially now that they finally had an ID. They could start to gather information on the boy before talking to the parents the next morning.

"You think we should call Beckett?" Ryan asked his partner.

"Send her a text message, fill her in and let her call you." Lanie answered instead of Esposito who hadn't even had have the time to take another breath.

"Good idea, thanks." Ryan said and grabbed his phone to text his boss.

Esposito rolled his eyes at his partner but smiled before he looked at Lanie again.

"Good job, Lanie, thank you."

They nodded at each other and the boys left again, although Ryan looked like he didn't know what was going on for a second.

"Don't worry, as much as it might doesn't look like, they'll find out who did this to you. They're the best." Lanie whispered to the body and sighed.

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><p>"Castle! Where are we?" Beckett laughed slightly as they entered the bar.<p>

"I have no idea but this looks like a bar to me and that's just where I wanted to be." He raised his eyebrows at her and grinned at her faint smile and eye roll.

She let him drag her behind, further into the bar and to a free table. They were really lucky to get one.

"What do you want?" Castle asked almost eagerly.

"A beer is fine with me...and you?"

"I think I'll go for something stronger tonight."

Beckett nodded in understanding and let him go to get their drinks. A second later she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. It was a text from Ryan with the latest news on the case.

Castle came back a minute later. He put the bottle of beer he had in his hand in front of her and took a seat with his own drink. He had settled for vodka in the end.

"Thank you. I just got a text from Ryan. We have a name to the face now. The boy's Ben Schmidt, 15. They asked me to call in later. Right now they're trying to find out as much as they can until tomorrow morning." Beckett explained when she saw his questioning face.

Castle didn't reply but nodded his head to tell her he had been listening. He was deep in his thoughts when he took a long sip from his drink. Beckett watched his eyes as he drank. She knew mentioning the boy again would upset him, but she didn't want to keep information from him either. He looked so heartbroken that she had to try to comfort him. Without thinking about it twice, she placed her hand over his.

"Castle..." His name came out as a whisper, though she hadn't meant for it to. "I'm right here, ya know." It wasn't a question.

His expression changed, he looked somewhat grateful and she smiled softly. Castle smiled back at her and changed the position of their hands, so that now his lay atop of hers. Beckett bit her lip. She was feeling the tension grow between them and it didn't exactly made her feel comfortable. She needed to back out of this. Castle could tell she was becoming uncomfortable and decided to lighten the mood and give her the way out she needed.

"Hey, you wanna have a shot?" He grinned and raised his vodka.

She smiled at him and took the offered drink. She was glad for the distraction he had given her without needing to ask or take a step back completely. Beckett withdrew her hand slowly from under his and gave him an apologizing smile.

She knew that something must have changed between them since his phone call to her but she failed to recognize what exactly it was. When she blinked and looked up she noticed him watching her - again.

"Kate..."

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><p><em>I'm still not 100% sure what to think of this chpater but either way it <em>is_ better now and I hope you enjoyed it. _

_As always, I'd be happy to get a review from you :)_


	4. A Sleepover

_Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the revs and your time to read this. I didn't want to make you wait too long, so I decided to upload the next chapter already. I don't know if I like it that much so I'd be glad to hear what you think of it. Also, I know this is my job to do but I hate my summary and so far I couldn't think of anything better...If anyone has sugeestions or ideas, just shoot but as I said, this is more my business to deal with :/ If you have any sugesstions or idea what you want to see in this fic however, feel free to let me know and I'll try to write it in where I can.  
><em>

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><p>Ryan was getting anxious. They weren't finding out as much about the boy as they would like to just by checking every possible system. They had his address, the name of his parents and his school. It was something to start with, just not in the middle of the night. They had to ask questions to get answers and more information.<p>

"Tell me you got something useful." He begged his partner.

Esposito looked up at him and made a grimace.

"Not much more than before, bro. I take it it's the same with you?"

Ryan shook his head and sighed.

What they had found out was important and they could definitely start asking around in the morning but it was too late to go anywhere.

"Ok, so, what have we got?"

"Ben Schmidt. Age 15. His parents are Viktoria and Martin Schmidt. The boy goes to The Metropolitan High School. I checked what I can find on the parents. They're clean. Couldn't find out much at all, I guess we gotta go and ask for the rest..." Esposito said, sounding halfway defeated, "Hey, I don't think we can do anymore tonight. I'll inform Beckett that we called it a night."

They hated it when they couldn't do anything but would make sure to be the first ones back in the precinct in the morning.

"Yeah..."

The two detectives grabbed their jackets and Esposito texted Beckett again. He didn't want to call and maybe interrupt anything.

"Tonight sucks, man."

"Tell me about it, bro..."

* * *

><p>They couldn't stop looking at each other. There was something magnetic going on between them. She couldn't smile even if she had wanted to and she didn't dare to breathe either. He wanted to tell her – ask her to leave the bar with him but all he did was swallow once and ask her with his eyes. She seemed to understand, though because she nodded her head slightly, only seen by his eyes. Slowly, she took one deep but shaky breath and got up. Beckett walked over to Castle's side of the table and offered him her hand.<p>

He took it and she pulled him up.

"Wanna leave the drink here or take it along?" She asked, quieter than she had intended.

"I think I'll be fine without the rest of the drinks...You?"

She smiled and nodded her agreement. Then they decided to leave for the loft.

They walked quietly next to one another until they were back at his place several minutes later.

Beckett wanted to leave again when they stood in front of the building but she sensed a hesitation in him. He wanted to ask her something but didn't really dare to, she knew it. She knew that expression on his face.

"Hey, ahm...Would you want me to stay for the night?" She asked, hesitating herself but getting more confident with each word.

What had gotten into her to ask that? She didn't know. And she didn't really care either. Castle needed her, admitting it or not. Either way, she knew he did. Beckett wouldn't be a good friend if she wouldn't. Neither would she be one if she wouldn't have offered.

"I..."

Castle would love her to stay, he still felt like needing company, especially tonight but he wasn't sure if it was such a good idea. He looked everywhere but her face to find the best answer. Beckett smiled at him. She found it incredible sweet of him to be this uncertain about an answer, given the fact that he always tried to spend time with her alone.

"It's ok, Castle. I promise no funny stuff."

He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. She looked proud that she had made him laugh again, even if it was only a little. His witty self was definitely contagious.

Castle eventually agreed to let her stay over the night. They got in the building and went straight to the elevator. Once inside, Beckett received another text. This time it was from Esposito.

"Ryan again?"

"Esposito. They called it a night. There's nothing to do for them anymore until they can question some people in the morning. They just wanted me to know."

It went silent between them for a few second before Castle decided to talk again.

"You don't have to do this, you know?"

Beckett didn't need to ask what he meant and neither did she look up. A faint smile was on her face, though.

"I know."

"Thank you." He whispered as the elevator doors opened again on his floor.

They were in his loft a few moments later and settled on the couch.

"I'll sleep here-" Beckett started but couldn't even finish her sentence as Castle interrupted her.

"You could sleep in the guest room, it's far more comfortable."

She considered the option for a brief moment and then nodded.

"Fine, I'll take the offer. Now, you should go to bed, it's late."

She hadn't mean it to sound like a mother who was talking to a little child when it was too late to still be up but it happened anyway.

"Could we...just talk for a while longer?"

"Sure, Castle. Whatever helps."

"Thank you, again. You really don't have to stay if-"

"Castle, shut up. I'm here because I want to be here. It's what friends are there for, right?"

"Yeah and you're a great friend, Beckett. Thanks."

"Stop thanking me, will you? There's nothing to thank for anyway."

Castle smiled at her briefly and she shot it right back at him. The fell into a comfortable silence and forgot about the boy for a while. It felt good to just sit next to each other and have the company. She had to admit that she could get used to it and probably already was. Castle liked the time he could spend with her without saying a word. It not only showed that they both were comfortable with one another but also how good a friend they were to the other one. He smiled at the thought.

"Castle, I'm sorry but I really think I should go to bed and you too. I better be at the precinct in the morning so I could actually use some sleep." Beckett smiled softly at him and shrugged apologizing.

Castle nodded and stood up.

"Alright, I guess you're right. Let me show you your room then."

She got up as well and followed him upstairs. They stopped right in front of a room that she instantly recognized. It was the one where she had been sleeping in after her apartment got blown up. She smiled, remembering how comfortable it was indeed. Castle gestured towards the room next to her room.

"This is my room, so if you need anything..."

Beckett chuckled softly at him.

"I know, I remember. Well, if _you _need anything, I'm right here."

Castle couldn't help the smile he shot back at her. It just came.

They both hesitated, briefly wondering what to do next. They just stood there for a while and looked at each other. Then Castle smiled brighter than before and made a step towards her. Beckett felt her heartbeat sped up, not sure what he was up to. She let him whatever it was he had in mind. He lifted his hand to cup her cheek and then bent forward to place a soft kiss on her other cheek. Beckett closed her eyes at the touch and smiled. She lifted her own hand up to keep his in place on her face. When Castle pulled back she opened her eyes again to meet his. She was now smiling over her whole face, her eyes light up brightly. He looked the same.

"Goodnight, Castle." She whispered and dropped her hand to her side.

He let his finger run over her skin for a second before pulling away completely.

"Night, KB."

Castle left for his room the moment she went into hers. When she closed her door she slid down against it.

"What just happened...?" She breathed out loud.

Beckett had wanted him to stay close and she had wanted the touch on her cheek- from his hand and from his lips as well. She wouldn't have minded a hug either but what got her thinking the most was the fact that she had wanted him to kiss her. Really kiss her.

Beckett shook her head, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to calm down and get up. Moments later she changed and went into bed. She couldn't believe that he still had some sleeping clothes lying around for her. At least she figured they were for her. They fitted perfectly and if she remembered correctly, she had similar – if not even the same – clothes when she had stayed with him for a while.

Then she grabbed her phone and texted Lanie.

* * *

><p>Castle sat in his bed, breathing deeply in order to calm himself down. His thoughts were racing. He wasn't sure what had just happened in that hallway. He had been really close to her without her hurting him in any way. He had touched her cheek and she had let him. He had kissed Kate Beckett... On the cheek but it had been a kiss. She had actually kept his hand in place on her cheek just because she had wanted to. She had smiled at him with all her heart. She had looked happy because of him. If he wasn't mistaken he was sure he had seen a blush on her face.<p>

He let himself fall back into his pillow and closed his eyes, smiling proudly. He had made Kate Beckett blush. And he was pretty sure it hadn't been the first time either.

Castle felt his body relax and he knew he was sleepy, tired even. He let his eyes closed and let sleep take over him. He wasn't thinking about the boy he had found earlier at all. His thoughts were focused and most likely stuck on what had happened earlier and especially on the woman who was in the room next to his. The only woman who could drive him and his thoughts crazy like she did. The one who could make him forget that horrible things happened every day and the one who reminded him of it all the time at the same.

"Kate Beckett..."

* * *

><p><em>I sorta like the end but that's it...So please let me know what you think of it. Thanks :)<em>


	5. Morning Calls

_This is extremly short and I apologise in adavnce but I really don't like this chapter at all so I decided to cut it this short and concentrate on the case in the next one. I hope you can forgive me this short chapter here. Enjoy and as always let me know what you think._

**_Who else hasn't recovered from the Sneak Peek/Promo for the finale yet?_**

* * *

><p>Shortly after 5am the door to his loft opened and closed again. It wasn't loud enough to wake anyone but Castle had heard it. He hadn't been awake for long, in fact he was pretty sure the door had waken him up. He didn't pay much attention to it but decided to get up and take a look a brief moment later.<p>

Castle went downstairs first. There was nothing and nobody. Shrugging he checked the time. 5.10am. it most likely hadn't been Alexis, even for her it was too early and he was sure it hadn't been his mother either. Then another thought crossed his mind. He went back upstairs and stopped in front of Beckett's guest room.

"Beckett?" He whispered as he gently knocked on the door.

When no one answered Castle silently opened it to take a peek inside. As far as he could tell in the darkness the bed was empty but to be sure he stepped inside further.

"What's that?"

There was a small piece of paper lying on the pillow. It was addressed to him.

_Castle, _

_I hope you could find some sleep tonight. I left for the precinct, after all I do have a job to do. You don't have to come in today if you don't want to but if you do, don't forget my coffee. I'm sorry I didn't wait for you to get up. I'm sure you would have loved to make some breakfast but I had to head home before I could go to work. _

_I'll talk to you later,_

_Kate_

Castle smiled to himself. Getting his phone out, he wrote a short message to her.

* * *

><p><em>I'll be in the precinct with your breakfast around 7am.<em>

Kate couldn't help the smile that formed on her lips when she read his text. She was already at home when she had the time to check the message.

"You better." She chuckled to herself-

Beckett quickly changed so she could get to the precinct as fast as possible. Five minutes later she was on her way to work again.

It didn't take long until she was there and not even to her surprise she already found Esposito and Ryan sitting there.

"Morning, Detectives. It's barely 6am and you're already here?"

"Morning, Boss. Yeah, we got in early." They smirked at her.

"How was your night?" Esposito asked, smirking even wider.

Beckett glared at him but her own smile showed clearly that she wasn't mad at him.

"How's Castle?" Ryan threw in and got her attention with it.

"Better. He said he'd be coming in around 7am."

She stopped and stared at her murder board. The boys had been writing on it and even though it wasn't much, it was something.

"Fill me in."

Esposito and Ryan stood up and walked up to her.

"The boy went to The Metropolitan High School. I tried to call his parents but so far no one answered. We'll drive over there later to see if anyone's home and to speak with the neighbours. The rest you can see on the board, although it's not much at all."

"I'll be driving to the school when Castle's in to talk to the classmates and teachers."

* * *

><p>An hour later the elevator doors opened and Castle stepped out. He walked straight to Beckett's desk but she didn't even notice until the welcoming smell of coffee made its way up her nose. She looked up and smiled at him.<p>

"Thanks." She said when he handed her the bear claw he had bought for her.

"Castle! How are you feeling, bro? Got some sleep last night?"

"Hey, guys. I'm better thanks. To my own surprise I slept really well. I wasn't even sure if I could close my eyes without seeing the boy in front of me but when I fell asleep I didn't see the boy at all." Castle smiled at them and then turned his head towards his partner.

She nodded at him and ate her breakfast.

"Castle, you up for a little fieldtrip?" Beckett asked, grinning widely after she had finished eating.

"Fieldtrip? You know I'm always in for one! Where are we going?" He asked eagerly, much to the boys entertainment.

"Metropolitan High School."

"Highschool?"

"Yes, the boy's Highschool. We gotta ask his classmates and teachers some questions. Esposito and Ryan will question his parents and neighbours in the meanwhile. So, are you ready to go?"

Castle nodded and Beckett got up. They left together and were on her way to her car.

* * *

><p><em>The Metropolitan High School does exits, I checked it because I needed a name and I took this one. Any other references like names, etc is not intended.<em>

_Hope you liked it more than I did._


	6. A Neighbour And A Girlfriend

_I'm really truly sorry about the delay in uploading this Chapter! I was planning on doing it last week but I had some major problems with my laptop and_ _when I got it back I went on with Chrome which wouldn't let me upload it. I'm also sort of stuck at the moment with this fic but don't worry about it, you'll get weekly updates!_

_I want to thanks each one of you who wrote me a review, put this in their favs and put it on alert: THANK YOU! I would really appreciate if every one who has it on alert would write me a review. It would mean the world to me - but I won't beg for it (;  
><em>

_This Chapter is less about Castle/Beckett but it's important for the case. It's the mainpoint of the Chapter, everything is about the case. I hope you like it, because I do and it wasn't easy to write. _

_Please let me know what you think of it, alright?_ _Now, grab a cookie and enjoy it!_

* * *

><p>Ryan and Esposito arrived at the apartment building where the Schmidt's lived around 8am. It didn't take much longer to find their apartment.<p>

They knocked at the door but no one reacted.

"Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt! Open up, NYPD!" Ryan shouted as he knocked at the door again.

"Excuse me." They heard a voice from the apartment next to them.

They turned around to find an elder woman standing between the hallway and her door.

"Are you looking for the Schmidt's?" She asked curious.

"Yes, we are. And you are?" Esposito replied and got his notebook out to write down her name and whatever else she might had to say.

"Beth Simmons, I'm the neighbour. Is something wrong?"

"We want to ask the Schmidt's a few questions. Do you know if they're home or where we could find them?"

"I haven't seen or heard them since...yesterday morning."

"Do you know where they work?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, ahm...Viktoria is working in a flower shop on Broadway and Martin is giving German lessons at NYU." Beth answered after a moment.

"How long have you known the family?"

"Ever since they moved in here. I live here for over 40 years and never had neighbours like them. When the Schmidt's moved here they knew no one and it wasn't easy for them, especially for the boy. I often took care of him when his parents were out. He's such a good boy but as I said at the beginning it wasn't easy."

"Why that?" Esposito asked the obvious question.

"Ah, there were communication problems. You see, they moved here from Germany and Ben was only 7 at the time. He could barely speak a full sentence in English. Martin helped me to learn a bit German so I could talk to him better while he was learning English. He got better every day, he was a natural talent." Beth explained, smiling at the memory.

"Did they ever mention problems with somebody or maybe if Ben was in trouble?"

"No, nothing like that. Everybody loved them. Why, what is wrong? Is Ben alright?" She asked panicked.

"He was murdered last night..." Esposito finally said.

"That's horrible! His parents will be devastated! And his girlfriend..." The woman was at a clear loss of words.

"Girlfriend?"

"Yes, they were so in love...I think her name is Bianca...Bianca...Wright. Bianca Wright, that's her name. They're in the same class..."

"Would you happen to have the address of Viktoria Schmidt's work?"

"Yes, yes, I do. Wait a moment, please." She said and hurried inside.

She came back several seconds later with a paper in her hand.

"Here. She gave me this paper with the address and every important number in case there was something with Ben..."

"One last question, Mrs. Simmons: Do you know if the Schmidt's were close to other neighbours or if they ever had an argument with one of them?"

"No, not as far as I know. They said the casual 'hello' and 'goodbye', asked how everyone was doing and sometimes they went shopping for one another when time was too short to do it themselves or they took care of the apartment while the other family was on vacation but they weren't close to anyone or had fights...Everyone liked them, they were reliable and would always help out. I don't know why someone would want to harm any of them...Please find out who did this."

"We will, thank you for your help, Mrs. Simmons."

The elder woman nodded at them and then closed her door behind her.

The two detectives turned to look at each other. Esposito was the first to speak again.

"I'll call Beckett and tell her what we got. Maybe she can find out more that way, especially with that girlfriend."

"Ok, I'll ask around some more. Maybe the other neighbours heard something." Ryan said and left to knock on some more doors while Esposito got his phone out to call Beckett.

* * *

><p>"Beckett." She said as she answered her phone in the car.<p>

They were almost at the school.

"Yo! A neighbour said that Ben had a girlfriend, Bianca Wright. She's in his class. We know where the parents work – he's giving German lessons at the NYU and she's working in a flower shop on Broadway. We'll check that later, Ryan's still asking some neighbours if they know of anything."

"Anything else?"

"The family moved here 9 years ago from Germany. Neighbour said they didn't have any enemies or other problems."

"Alright. Call me when you find anything else." Beckett said and hung up.

Castle looked over at her and thought through the conversation she had just have with Esposito.

"Who will we talk to first?" He asked.

"The headmaster first. We can get the school file of Ben and find out the important things like if he had problems with anyone or was in trouble or anything."

They drove up to the school where she found a parking space a good minute later. They got out of the car and walked in, looking for the headmaster's office. In the hallway they nearly ran over a man, Beckett guessed he was a teacher at the school.

"Hi...Can I help you?" He asked friendly and Beckett flashed her badge.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD. We're looking for the headmaster."

"Why, what did I do?" He smiled and made a gesture to follow him to his office.

On their way to the end of the hallway, Beckett asked for his name.

"Marc Wright."

Several seconds later they entered his office and sat down.

"What can I do for you, Detective?"

"Mr. Wright, are you Bianca Wright's father?"

"Yes..."

"Do you know a Ben Schmidt?"

"Yes, he's Bianca's boyfriend. They're in the same class."

"Did he ever get in trouble? Had he any problems you know of?" Beckett asked.

"No, no, nothing like that. He is a good boy."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"He's a good boy and a great student. He doesn't get in trouble with anyone and help out at school when he's needed. He's in a few working groups. He and Bianca meet almost every day after school...Why are you asking me this? Is Ben alright? Is he in trouble?"

"He was murdered last night." Beckett said and gave it time to let her words sink in before she continued talking, "I need to ask your daughter and his classmates and teachers some questions. I'd also need Ben's school file."

"I...of course..." Wright mumbled and stood up to get Ben's file.

"Here...Bianca...She will be..."

"Where can we find her right now?" She asked when he didn't talk any further.

"She should be in the gym now...It's on the right when you leave the school, you can't miss it."

"Thank you, Mr. Wright. We will come back to you when we have more questions."

The headmaster nodded shortly and said "Goodbye" before Castle and Beckett left.

* * *

><p>They walked down the hallway towards the exit when she wondered what had gotten him so quiet.<p>

"You were surprisingly quiet in there, Castle...You alright?"

"Yeah... I couldn't think of any good questions while we were in there." He said.

He didn't like it because it wasn't like him to be quiet but he also knew that Beckett was able to do her job without him asking things.

A few minutes later they were at the gym. There was a class playing Basketball when they entered. The teacher noticed them instantly and walked up to them.

"Can I help you?"

"NYPD. I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is Rick Castle. We're looking for Bianca Wright."

The young woman turned around and shouted for Bianca. While the blonde girl walked up to them, the teacher looked at them again.

"May I ask what this is about?"

"We're investigating a murder and need to ask her a few questions."

The girl approached them and had Beckett's full attention.

"Bianca Wright?"

"Yes." The girl nodded.

She was confused when Kate introduced herself again.

"Can we talk somewhere private?"

"Sure...What's wrong?" Bianca asked and they walked outside of the gym.

"What is wrong?"

Beckett could hear the panic in Bianca's voice. She sat down on a close bench and gestured the girl to do the same. Castle stood in front of them. He knew that Bianca should sit when she'll hear the news that will crush her world.

"Bianca...I'm really sorry but Ben Schmidt was murdered last night... I'm really sorry for your loss." Beckett said, her voice incredible soft.

They watched as Bianca's emotions took over her face. First, she thought Beckett was joking, then the horror of realization that Beckett had said the truth made its way through and then she broke into tears.

"I'm sorry, Bianca but I need to ask you some questions if you feel up to it."

The girl looked up at Beckett and nodded.

"When was the last time you saw Ben?"

"Yesterday. We went out together until 7pm. He said he'd call me when he get home but I missed it. When I tried to call back no one answered. I thought maybe he was eating with his parents or something..." She said sobbing.

"Ok, how long have you known him?"

"Since last year. I met him first when he came into my class. We came together not long after that..."

"Did he have any problems you know of?"

Bianca shook her head as the tears continued falling.

"What can you tell us about his parents?"

"I like them, they're really nice...I think they like me, too, at least they never said otherwise. They were happy that Ben had found someone he really liked. Mrs. Schmidt is working in a flower shop, I sometimes I helped her out there and Mr. Schmidt is working at the NYU... I asked him if he would like to give me some German lessons, too. I know that Ben would have liked that...Do they know what happened?"

"We're informing them this minute."

"They moved here from Germany. Did Ben ever mention if they had problems back there or anything else?" Castle threw in and Bianca looked up at him as if she noticed him for the very first time.

She opened her mouth to say something but frowned. She thought about his question for a while, searching for anything Ben might have said about it.

"Nothing I can think of... But I'm not sure he remembered much from there anyway. You should probably ask his parents about that..."

"Thank you, Bianca. You were a big help. If you remember anything or just want to talk, call me." Beckett said, smiling softly when she gave the girl her card.

"Thank you, Detective..."

"One last thing: Did Ben have a best friend we could talk to?" Castle asked when she was about to get up.

"Not that I know of now that you mention it. He was more of a loner but you could always count on him when you needed him..."

Beckett nodded at the girl and let her go back to class. When she didn't stand up, Castle decided to sit down next to her. They looked after the girl until she was out of sight.

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><p><strong>Reviews?<strong>


	7. A Bad Feeling

_I'm truly sorry for the delay in this but first I didn't have any internet on my laptop for a whole week, then it turned out that the major problems I've been having with this bloody thing were at least 3 or 4 viruses and then my laptop was so slow that I was sure it would die on me...It didn't, glad for that but truth to be told: I hate this thing and I want a new one *sighs* And also? I don't know what to think about this new Fanfiction layout for our accounts... Well, it's still working so I guess I'll be fine and comfortable with this with time.  
><em>

_Anyway, I want to thank you guys for the reviews I got as well as all of the Alerts: We're already at over 24 with this story. But as fattering as that fact is, I'm actually sort of hurt that so less of you really take the time to leave me a line. Anything I could do to change that?_

_However, this Chapter takes its interest at the crime again and as sorry as I am for not having so much Caskett fluff in there, it is important for the story after I want the case to be important and therefor solved. But don't worry, there's a whole Chapter of Castle/Beckett love coming up soon, so be patient and maybe you even have some theories for how this whole thing will turn out at the end ;)_

_As you might have noticed (I did when I re-read previous Chapters) there are some mistakes, typos and most likely grammar issues_ _in here so it's not exactly beta'd and everything belongs to me. Now I'll stop rambling and have you read!_

* * *

><p>The team got back together at the precinct over two hours later. Ryan and Esposito had already been back for several minutes and had used the time to fill the murder board with information. They had wanted to drive to the Schmidt's working places but Beckett had called them back in before they had the chance to. She wanted to gather all the information together first. That and she wanted to split the task of questioning the parents into two. It would work faster that way.<p>

"What have you found out, boys?" Beckett asked when she was back in the bullpen.

"Not much. The other neighbours barely knew the boy or the family. They said when they saw him it was with his girlfriend or his parents. They couldn't tell us much at all but they never heard of any problems or anything involved with the Schmidt's. Beth Simmons was the only friend they had in the building. She was the only one who could give us any information. What have you got?"

"We talked to the girlfriend, Bianca Wright and her father, the headmaster...They both said he was a good and quiet kid, never got in any trouble and never had problems with anybody. All the others we talked to could only agree with it. No one had problems with him either, he was a loner but always there when someone needed help. I don't think it was anybody from the school. At least no one we talked to. We still don't have a motive or anything." Beckett said and stared a hole into the murder board.

"We asked Bianca if Ben ever mentioned problems from when he was back in Germany but she didn't know of any. Maybe the parents do, though." Castle threw in and the others nodded their agreement.

"You'll drive to that flower shop where Viktoria Schmidt is working and we'll take NYU."

Ryan and Esposito nodded again and grabbed their jackets to leave. Castle and Beckett did the same only a few seconds later.

* * *

><p>"Do you have any theories yet, Castle?" Beckett asked when she started the car.<p>

"Well, the best I have for now is that he was killed because of something that happened back in Germany. Maybe he was followed by his killer."

"But what about the eyes. Why would the killer want them?"

"...I'm not that far yet." Castle admitted.

She smiled at him but didn't have a better theory herself. They needed to talk to the parents. They were the most important source of information in this case. Besides Ben they were the ones who could give Beckett answers.

"We need answers, a motive and a killer...That boy deserves justice."

Castle stayed silent at that. She was right of course but she didn't need him to confirm her statement. He frowned and looked out of the window. He was thinking hard enough for Beckett to notice even though she was driving.

"What?"

"I don't know but I have a bad feeling..."

"About what?"

"This whole case... I don't know why but I don't feel good about it."

"Maybe you're right. Either way, we have to find out what happened." Beckett agreed after a short pause.

"I know and I also know that you will solve this case... Just... I really don't feel good about this so just be careful, please, ok?" Castle said, looking at her pleading.

Where Beckett could only agree was that this one wasn't like all the other cases they had before and she had a weird feeling about the whole murder herself.

"I will, Castle...Now will you stop being so paranoid?" She said, half joking.

Castle smiled but it didn't reach his eyes completely. He knew she had only meant it good to cheer him up a little but he was still worried.

* * *

><p>Esposito and Ryan were at the flower shop around half an hour later. It was a beautiful little shop. They entered it when they got a first impression and looked around casually. There was a young woman standing behind the cash desk and a man who was ordering a bouquet for his wife's birthday. The two detectives waited until he was gone before they stepped closer and flashed their badges, introducing themselves.<p>

"We're looking for Viktoria Schmidt."

"Oh, could you wait here for a moment, please?" The young woman smiled awkwardly and left to the part of the shop where customers were not allowed.

Esposito and Ryan frowned at each other and hoped the woman wouldn't run away. It was often like that: They saw the badge and started to panic for whatever reason and then they would run away.

They seemed to be lucky this time, though. The young brunette came back around a minute later with an older woman behind her. The elder stepped in front of her and looked at the two detectives. They were about to ask if she was Viktoria when she started to speak.

"My name is Mary Brown, I'm the shop owner. Lizzie here told me you are looking for Viktoria?"

"Yes, we are."

"Well, so am I. She didn't show up this morning so I had to call Lizzie to help me out. I thought maybe Viktoria is sick but she usually calls me when she can't make it." Mary said and sighed.

"How often does she miss work?" Ryan asked.

"Not often at all. She usually only calls when she's so sick she can't leave her apartment or when there's anything with Ben. He was sick last month and Viktoria stayed at home to take care of him. I have Lizzie for those days to help me out even if she wouldn't have needed to come in."

"Lizzie, you have a last name?" Esposito asked, ready to write it down.

"Lizzie Wang. W-A-N-G. Is everything alright with Viktoria?"

"We would like to know that too now." Esposito mumbled only for Ryan to hear.

"Do you know Viktoria's son Ben very well?" Ryan asked the two women.

"He comes here sometimes to help out or just to see his mother for something. I come along with him pretty well, he's only two years younger than me after all." Lizzie answered.

"Thanks...Call us when you hear from Viktoria."

They handed the women their cards and left the shop without any further words.

"Looks like Viktoria Schmidt is missing too, huh?"

"We gotta call Beckett. Maybe she's with her husband." Esposito sighed.

He didn't like it at all. It looked like Viktoria was missing and that was definitely a bad sign. Whether that or she was hiding. Either way, they needed to find her.

* * *

><p>"I just got a call from Esposito. Viktoria Schmidt didn't come to work today. They hope she's with her husband but she's most likely missing..." Beckett said as she approached Castle.<p>

They had arrived at the university a few minutes earlier and Castle had already gotten out of the car when Beckett received the call.

They walked inside together and found Martin Schmidt's office a while later. He was sharing it with another professor. Beckett knocked on the door and entered a second later, Castle following behind.

"Are you Martin Schmidt?" She asked when she had the man's full attention and flashed her badge.

"No, I'm Professor Leon James. Martin and I share the office since he's working here. What did he do?"

"Is he here?"

"No, it's his day off. Why, what did he do, Detectives?"

"Do you know where he could be?" Castle asked, ignoring the man's questions as well as Beckett did.

"He mentioned the Central Park several times but I don't know if he's still going there on his free days." Leon replied.

"On that photo over there, is that Martin?" Beckett asked and pointed at a picture behind Leon.

He turned around and nodded shortly.

"Can I take that with me?"

"Of course. Would you want to leave a message for him or anything?"

"No, thank you but give me a call when you hear from him."

Beckett gave the man her card and left together with Castle, leaving a confused looking Professor behind.

When they reached her car, Castle asked what they would do next.

"We could check the Central Part but I don't think only the two of us would find him. I'll call the Captain and ask for patrol support. Maybe we get lucky."

She took her phone and dialled Montgomery's number. When he finally answered she told him everything and asked for the patrols. He agreed shortly and Beckett hung up again. Then she made a picture of the photo from Martin and sent it to the Captain.

"Wanna go out for lunch?" Castle asked after a while.

"Yeah, why not. We can't do much right now anyway and I'm starving." Beckett smiled at him.

Castle smiled widely as he got in the car. Beckett was grinning when she started the car and drove directly to Remy's.

"Do you think Viktoria Schmidt is really missing?" Castle asked.

"I don't know...Maybe they're both missing or maybe they're hiding. We better find them soon. I think they know who killed Ben."

Castle nodded and thought about the previous night again.

"Would you scream when you get shot in the head?" He asked suddenly and Beckett frowned at his question.

"I wouldn't do anything because I'd be most likely dead. There's simply no time to scream."

"That's what I thought, too..."

"Castle? What are you thinking?" Beckett asked.

She didn't have a good feeling about this, especially not about the way he had said it. He had an idea again and she wasn't about to like it.

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><p><em>So, what did you think about this? Drop me a line and let me know. If you have any suggestionstheories/ideas or wishes regarding this sotry: let me know by dropping a line._

_Reviews make me write faster- matter-of factly- so don't hesitate and I'll be hopefully back next week with another Chapter._


	8. Theories, Dreams and more Theories

_I'm truly sorry about the delay of over 2 months but my mum took my laptop away and I only got it back recently :( I have not abandonded you! Thank you for the few Alerts I still got on this and I hope you're all still with me! Thank you also for your patience with me_ _and this story. I love you all and you're the best!_

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><p>"<em>Castle? What are you thinking?" Beckett asked.<em>

_She didn't have a good feeling about this, especially not about the way he had said it. He had an idea again and she wasn't about to like it._

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><p>"...There was someone else with the killer when Ben died..." Castle simply stated.<p>

"Why with the killer and not with Ben?"

"I think all three were together when it happened. The killer shot Ben and whoever was with them screamed...I think it was Viktoria."

"Who killed Ben?" Beckett frowned.

"No! No...I don't know who killed him but I think Viktoria was with them."

"As much as I hate to admit it, it makes sense...What about Martin Schmidt? You think he was with them as well?"

"I don't think so...He would have tried to fight the killer off. I mean, if he was with them then he would have watched his son die. I couldn't stand next to that and don't do anything. I would have heard that." Castle answered and Beckett nodded.

She drove in to Remy's and they got out of the car after she had found a parking space. They went inside and ordered their usual meal. While the two of them were waiting they were each lost in their own thoughts. If Viktoria Schmidt was with Ben when the killer shot him, she was definitely missing or involved in the whole thing. But why would she scream if she was and why would she want her own son dead? And they still hadn't figured out why Ben's eyes were missing. None of it made sense to them.

"Castle, how are you feeling?" Beckett asked.

"I'm ok."

"So you really did find some sleep last night?"

"Yeah, as I told the guys, I expected to see the boy as soon as my eyes were closed but...he wasn't there."

"I'm glad then." Beckett smiled without even realizing it.

"Why, do I detect actual concern there, Detective?" Castle smirked and earned and eye roll from his partner.

"Don't push it, Castle...Look, our lunch is coming."

The waitress placed their plates in front of them and left smiling.

The two of them were quite the show and already well-known by everyone from Remy's. When the rest of the team had been coming along once after a hard case, Lanie got the staff to join their pool about when Castle and Beckett would finally get together.

"Do you really think Martin is involved somehow?" Castle asked again, his eyes fixated on his food.

"I don't know but I'm definitely hoping he's not. We need to find him and find out."

"What if he's really missing?"

"Then...Then this case is gonna be a real bitch to crack...Let's hope he's not anyhow involved..."

They both sighed again and finished eating. Castle paid the bill and Beckett flipped out her phone. After a few second her call got answered.

"Captain, it's Beckett. I just wanted to ask if we got anything on Martin Schmidt?"

"I'm sorry but the patrols haven't been successful yet."

"Damned...Thank you, Sir. Are Ryan and Esposito already back?"

"Not yet, Detective."

"Thank you, Captain, bye." Beckett said and stepped out of Remy's as she hung up.

When she turned around she found Castle waiting at her car.

"No news on Martin Schmidt yet but I hadn't exactly thought so." She said when he looked at her.

"That's what I thought. If he's hiding then he doesn't want to get found and he wouldn't be at his usual places, like the Central Park and if he's missing then we wouldn't have find him there either."

"I have to agree with you there. Let's get back to the precinct."

Castle nodded and they went back to the 12th.

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><p>She found herself backed-up against the closed door of the break room. The cup of coffee still in her hand she tried to recall what had led to her- or better their- current position.<p>

All she remembered was that they had come back in and that she had wanted a cup of coffee. The next thing she knew was how he had closed the door behind him and how he had twirled her around to pin her against it.

Beckett swallowed and stared into his eyes. He gently took the cup out of her hands and placed it on the counter. When Castle turned back towards her he smiled and she found herself smiling back softly. They just stared at each other for a few seconds until she realized that he was moving closer. Kate's hand was shaking when she lifted it to gently place it on his chest. Her eyes never left his as she did so. He looked a bit hurt at her rejection when she slowly stopped his movements with her hand.

"Not here." She whispered much to her own surprise and he smiled again.

She smiled back at him when she felt something on her shoulder, softly shaking her.

"Beckett? Kate?"

She frowned and opened her eyes.

"Sorry to wake you up." Castle whispered.

Beckett closed her eyes again for a second and cursed silently. When had she been falling asleep? Damned! It really had to be Castle who found her asleep, waking her up, hadn't it? She sighed.

"It's ok. Got anything for me?" _You better, Castle!_

Castle removed his hand from her shoulder and sat down beside her.

"The neighbour, Beth Simmons, called earlier. She said she remembered that Martin Schmidt was acting strange the last few days. Like he was being followed or something. Ryan and Esposito are driving to the apartment again. They're gonna see if they can find anything inside. Beth said she could let them in. She has a spare key for emergencies." He explained.

"Great. Hopefully we'll finally get a useful lead now... I'm sorry I fell asleep, I didn't mean to."

"No one saw something. I had it covered." Castle winked, "Had a nice dream at least? You looked sort of... happy."

Beckett stood up smiling and walked towards the door.

"It wasn't too bad indeed." She said and left the break room with her now most likely cold coffee.

"What did you dream about?"

"The case." She answered a bit too fast and they both knew it.

"Liar!" He smirked at her.

"You know what? If you promise to behave and be good today, I might tell you later."

Castle face lit up like it was Christmas Morning. They were both back in the bullpen when Beckett's phone started ringing.

"Beckett."

"Yo! We're at the apartment. There's nothing suspicious here but we did find Martin Schmidt's organizer. There was an appointment last night. Looks like it was with the headmaster of Ben's school. It says they met around 7pm in a café not far from here."

"Bring him in."

"Got it, Boss."

Beckett hung up and wondered briefly how long she had been sleeping if the boys were already there. She turned to face Castle as she started to repeat what Esposito had just told her.

"Well, he certainly forgot to mention that."

"You wanna come in with me when I'll interrogate him?" Beckett asked, already knowing the answer to her question.

"Is the pope catholic?"

She shook her head smiling. That man was incorrigible. A nine year old on a sugar-rush. It would always lighten up her mood and she learned to be really grateful for it at times. Especially during hard cases like this one. They all needed that. They needed the distraction and he used to do just that: Distract but keep them on their toes and on the case at the same time. It must be some sort of superpower, Kate chuckled to herself. Beckett was glad that he wasn't as heartbroken anymore as he had been the night before. He was getting back to 'normal' slowly.

"What are we gonna do until they bring him in?" Castle asked and ripped her out of her thoughts.

"_I _will check if I can find anything that helps us find Martin and Viktoria, starting wit their financials. If you wanna be helpful then shut up and think. Maybe you can come up with a theory that actually helps us. We're missing something, maybe you can find out what."

"Okay, fine." He agreed and stared at the murder board, "Esposito said that Martin and Marc met around 7pm, right? Why would they meet that late? I mean, if it was about Ben then they would have met earlier, don't you think?"

"I've been thinking about this, too... I don't know what's going but I'm guessing you have a theory? I'm definitely hoping Marc's gonna cooperate when he's here and tell us why they met."

"I have a theory indeed. You wanna know what I've been thinking?" Castle said and she gave him a sign to continue, "There are a lot of schools that have problems with drugs. If anyone knows then it's the headmaster, right?"

"What, so you're saying he's involved in something and Ben's father or even Ben himself were part of it? All because of drugs?"

"It's possible and it would be a motive. You know I have a point there."

"Okay, okay... Assuming you're having a point with this, we still have no proof that either one of them is anyhow into drugs. But for the sake of the theory- and because we have nothing to lose anyway- I'll call the drug unit and see if they have the school or Marc Wright checked. If he has something to do with it, he won't tell us and it's all it is: A theory. So we won't mention it towards Marc once he's here, alright?" Beckett sighed and raised an eyebrow at Castle who seemed to be more than satisfied with her statement.

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><p><em>Well, ahm, I hope you at least liked it. I would have come up with something super special (besides that little dream sequence in there- I don't even know! XD) to make up for the wait but...yeah... I haven't even written that much in those two months- screw me... Anyway, I'm out for the next week but then I'll try to be back once a week or every second week :)<br>**Reviews** are **love!**_


	9. covering Bases

_Wow, I'm extremly sorry for not updating this any earlier but being honest, after the last chapter I thought you guys had abandoned me. I only got 1 review and that was from my best friend and then I simply forgot about this. I really am sorry and I truly hope you're still with me or again and that you leave me a note at the end of it. I guess after all the time that's been between the last upload(s) you might wanna re-read the previous chapters._

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><p>Beckett entered the interrogation room and closed the door behind her before she sat down in the chair, letting the files she had in her hand fall down on the table in front of her.<p>

"Why didn't you tell us that you had a meeting with Martin Schmidt yesterday evening, Mr. Wright?" She asked, coming straight to the point.

"What-! I ... I didn't mention it because you didn't ask. You were asking about Ben, not Martin."

"What a wiseass." Castle muttered from the observation room.

He had decided to let her go in alone. Ryan and Esposito were checking on the headmaster and Castle wanted to know if they got anything without having to interrupt or disturb Beckett in any way. Besides, he enjoyed watching her questioning people a lot. And also, he found it saver to not be in the same room with her in case something 'went wrong'. It had two reasons: First, whenever he made a smartass comment, she wouldn't know. Second, if she went really violently badass on someone in there, he would definitely be sure not to get hit in any way. Either way, sometimes it was better when he wasn't in there with her. She didn't need him to be around all the time. She did fine before him and she would be fine after him. Castle smiled to himself but shook his head. That's not where he wanted his thoughts to be right there. Fact was, at times she simply needed to do it alone.

"Fine. Why did you meet with Ben's father?" Beckett asked and Castle's attention snapped back to the interrogation.

"I didn't." Marc said, shifting in his chair uncomfortably.

"Don't lie to me, Marc. We found his organizer. We know you two met that day."

"I'm not lying! We had an appointment, yes but he didn't show up! I left maybe half past seven when I figured he wouldn't come anymore."

"Why did you want to meet him?"

"I didn't. He asked me last week if we could meet and discuss something. He wouldn't tell me what but I eventually agreed anyway. He gave me the time and the place and I haven't spoken him ever since that!"

"And you didn't wonder about all of it? The sudden meeting and then him not showing up?" Beckett asked, raising an eyebrow. She didn't believe him.

"Of course I did! But I figured it could wait until the meeting. I mean, _he_wanted to talk to _me_, he would have told me at last, so I didn't ask any further. We met at times, mostly over Bianca and Ben but I liked Martin and we became sort of friends. Sometimes he would call me to ask a favour or asked for a meeting, it wasn't new. His behaviour was, though. He acted weird, like he was being paranoid and couldn't talk over the phone, you know? And when he didn't show up yesterday I just thought he chickened out. I mean, I don't know what he wanted to talk to me about but maybe he had changed his mind and just didn't want to anymore or something more important happened. How would I know?"

"So you don't know why he didn't come?"

"No. I already told you that I have no idea."

"Where were you last night around 9pm?"

"Hey, whoa, slow down! Now you're thinking _I_had something to do with Ben's death?" He almost yelled and his eyes widened in shock.

"It's a standard question. Now, where were you, Mr. Wright?"

"At home! With my daughter! Ask her, she'll tell you the same!"

"Did you ever have a drug problem at your school?" She asked suddenly.

Behind the mirror, Castle frowned deeply. He watched Marc's face twist, he clearly didn't like the questions. Castle wondered why Beckett had asked that question. She had wanted to keep that to herself for now after all. When she had called the drug unit earlier, they had confirmed that they had made several checks on the school and that they had found something at times but Castle was still confused by her actions. It was their only halfway good theory after all and she just, well, gave it away? He didn't get it but he would wonder about that later. Beckett always knew what she was doing. She was the best at her job and he wouldn't start criticizing her. He was sure she had something in the back of her mind that made her ask.

"I...Yes, we had several but we're dealing with it and the police was there often enough...The dealers we had at school got suspended and they're the police's problem now. They're taking care of them... Why are you asking me this?"

Beckett decided not to answer his question and got up instead. She opened the door and looked back at Marc.

"You're free to go."

"Just like that?" Marc frowned at her and Beckett nodded.

He got up as well and left as fast as he could, leaving Beckett standing in the doorframe. Castle went out of the observation room and joined Beckett in the hallway.

"What do you think?" He asked once he had her attention.

"We should talk to Bianca to see if his alibi checks out and I want to go to the café they were suppose to meet and ask around. Somebody must have seen him there if he was there. Have you seen Ryan and Esposito?" Beckett replied, checking the bullpen for her colleagues.

"Not since they brought him in, actually. Maybe they're in the break room."

She nodded at him and together they left for the break room. They found the two detectives inside, having a cup of coffee and chatting over the case.

"Hey, guys? Do you wanna check Marc Wright's alibi with his daughter or do we have to?" She smiled at them.

"Nah, we got it covered." Ryan grinned and Esposito agreed with him.

They would have to stick with the boring part of researches, paperwork or whatever Beckett would want them to do if they would let her and Castle check the alibi. They practically jumped out of their seats, grabbed their jackets and were on their way to the elevator when Beckett started laughing silently. They didn't hear it.

"And...now?"

"Now...I'll make you another deal. You'll go home and when my day is over I'll come by and tell you all you need to know, alright?"

Castle grinned widely but didn't agree immediately. He was playing an act of thinking about her suggestion and she knew it. Beckett raised an eyebrow and he finally agreed.

"Don't forget about me!" Castle winked when he headed for the elevator after he had grabbed his jacket.

Beckett rolled her eyes but kept smiling. She waited until the elevator doors closed before she went to her desk, mumbling a soft "How could I?"

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><p>She woke up suddenly, not knowing that she fell asleep in the first place. She slowly opened her eyes just to find herself in a dark room. Was there a window somewhere? She looked around, still sleepy, but didn't find anything close to a window. In fact, she barely saw anything at all. She didn't know where she was or what time it was. She yawned once and tried to stand up when she realized that she was sitting but she couldn't. Starting to struggle against the obvious rope around her wrists, she tried to free herself. And failed. She wanted to stop- her wrists were burning- but the will to get free wouldn't let her.<p>

"Hello? Let me out of here!"

No one answered her, not that she had actually expected it. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again a moment later. She tried to recognize anything from her surroundings but she wasn't even sure there was something around her at all.

"I know you can hear me!" She cried out desperately.

Then she started crying after a few more seconds. Not because of the physical pain in her wrists or because she was being held hostage. She was crying because she knew that she was going to die soon.

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><p>"Bianca Wright?" Ryan asked, flashing his badge when the young girl opened the door.<p>

"Yes. What can I do for you, Detectives?" She smiled and let them both in.

They walked over to the living room and sat down on the couch.

"We have a few more questions. Where were you last night around 9pm?" Esposito replied.

"Ahm...I was at home...with my dad...Why are you asking me this? You don't think I have something to do with this, do you?"

"No, Bianca. It's a standard question. Do you know of the drug problem at your school?"

"Ah, yes. Everyone at school does but it's not as bad as it used to be anymore." Bianca answered, clearly confused.

"Did you ever take some?"

"No! And neither did Ben before you ask."

"I'm really sorry but we had to ask this." Ryan tried to calm her down.

"...I know...I'm sorry for snapping at you like this."

"Nah, it's alright. Do you have an idea why Ben's father wanted to meet with your dad last night?"

"I...Wait...He mentioned something...Ahm...No, I think he only mentioned that they were going to meet and discuss something but nothing in particular." Bianca said.

"Ok, thank you. That was all for now." Esposito said and smiled softly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you more."

"You were really helpful, Bianca, don't worry about that."

The two detectives got up and followed Bianca to the door. They thanked her again and said goodbye before they left again.

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><p>Beckett looked up from her phone to check the address again. Yepp, she was definitely right. She took a brief glance at the café to get a first impression. If it would be closer to her apartment or the 12th she could imagine herself paying another visit when she was off duty but unfortunately, it wasn't that close at all. Beckett went inside and looked for someone to ask her questions to. Less than a minute later a young man approached her with a polite smile on his face, asking if he could help her. She flashed her badge and questioned away.<p>

"Did you work here yesterday evening around 7pm?"

"Yes, I did, until we closed shortly after 8pm."

"Did you see this man in or in front of the café?" Beckett asked and showed him a picture of Marc Wright.

He studied it for a second and went through his memories before he nodded eventually.

"Yes, he was outside and waited for someone. I asked him if he wanted anything but he refused at first. After a while he came in and ordered a coffee. It didn't seem like, whoever he was waiting for, would come and then maybe half past seven he paid and left."

"Thank you very much, Sir. I'll leave you my card in case you remember anything else." She smiled.

The man smiled back at her and nodded while he took her card out of her hand. Beckett left again and called the boys to let them know what she got and to find out if Marc Wright's alibi with Bianca checked out. When she was back in her car she drove directly to Caste's address, telling Esposito so before she hung up.

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><p><em>That's it. I'd be really glad if you could leave me a review, and if it's only to tell me it was crap or that you don't want me to continue with this but don't just leave me hanging in mid-air. Please.<em>


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